Treasures of France including Normandy

Bienvenue! The 'City of Light' welcomes you as you prepare to embark on an unforgettable journey through France. Join your fellow travellers and Travel Director this evening for a Welcome Reception and orientation drive to admire the glittering cityscape of Paris – past grand boulevards and iconic sites like the Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe.

This morning, we depart Paris and venture to the city of Rouen, the tragic site where Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake. We travel to the enchanting harbour town of Honfleur – its narrow lanes and colourful shopfronts have long attracted artists who have immortalised its beauty on canvas. Arriving in Bayeux, we visit the Tapestry Museum. Here you’ll Dive Into Culture and see the Bayeux Tapestry, depicting events before and during the Battle of Hastings in 1066. This evening, we dine at our hotel.

We begin the day visiting the American Rangers Memorial at Pointe du Hoc. Pay tribute to the brave souls who lost their lives on the D-Day Landing Beach of Omaha, imagining the sense of terror and triumph felt on that fateful day when Allied forces set foot on mainland Europe. We stop for lunch in the seaside setting of Arromanches, once at the heart of the Normandy landings, before finishing the day at Juno beach, where the Canadian forces came ashore in 1944.

Travel through Bocage country to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed bay of the Mont St Michel. Spend a leisurely afternoon here admiring the ever-changing natural backdrop to the rocky island and its medieval abbey, or perhaps join an Optional Experience to Brittany's Emerald Coast jewel of Saint-Malo, where you can walk the ramparts and learn about the historic walled port city from a Local Specialist. Tonight we dine at our hotel.

This morning, we’ll join a Local Specialist and explore Mont-Saint-Michel, then tour the impressive medieval Benedictine Abbey. Legend has it, the abbey was built after the Archangel Michael appeared to the Bishop of Avranches inspiring him to build a church atop the island. Journey through the scenic countryside, stopping to Connect With Locals at a lunch with wine in a 17th-century château during a Be My Guest experience set within beautiful gardens. We journey to the Loire Valley, where we will spend the next two nights. You’ll enjoy a perfect stop at Caves Duhard where we’ll Dive Into Culture and enjoy the very best of Touraine vintages, learning bout the five generations of Duhard family who’ve had a hand in its creation.

We spend our day admiring the beautiful châteaux of the Loire Valley and join a Local Specialist for a visit to the Amboise Royal Château. It is here that King François I hosted Leonardo da Vinci, whose tomb now lies in the Chapel of Saint-Hubert adjoining the château. We continue with a visit to Château de Chenonceau, built on the Cher River. The château is often referred to as the 'Ladies Castle', due to the many women who influenced its construction and development. Today it contains priceless collections, including Renaissance furniture, tapestries and masterpieces by Rubens and Tintoretto.

Our first stop today is the town of Chartres and its beautiful Roman Catholic cathedral, regarded as one of the most authentic and complete works of religious architecture from the early 13th century. We journey back to Paris this afternoon and spend the rest of our day in the 'City of Light' with free time to take in some of the sights. Celebrate with your Travel Director and newfound friends this evening at a Farewell Dinner with local wines at a Parisian bistro.

For now it's time to say a fond au revoir to France and your fellow travellers at the end of a memorable trip. Find out more about your free airport transfer at trafalgar.com/freetransfers.